Graphics Books

Mr. Bartle's writing is precise and his facts carefully researched, even the ones he experienced himself. This is a huge, superbly constructed history of the tools and philosophies developed over the years in experimental and commercial development of online virtual worlds. Because of Mr. Bartle's personal knowledge as a long-time designer and his sharp memory for the significance of trends and details, this book will raise anyone's appreciation of whatever virtual worlds one comes across on line or on disk, whether they be famous commercial ones or those developed by enthusiasts for their own pleasure. I would think it would be a must read for gaming students. What a grand, satisfying, fascinating book! And when one considers that this exciting history is only the beginning of VW development... Wow!

This book taught me the theory behind Virtual worlds and I beleive nearly everything I read in this book.

I didn't simply believe everything because it was a published book, I beleived it because Richard used examples from real games. With all the experiance Richard has you would expect him to have learnt everything the hard way, he has but he's also smart enough to realise that sometimes you can learn from others mistakes instead of making them yourself.

The book is aimed at the 'Dungeons and Dragons' (and most of his examples are) type of game but there is no reason the information cannot be used in other genres.

The most amusing part is how right he can be.
Richard states that 'you cannot allow players to carry items over from the Beta testing to the online game, even though your players will try to convince you otherwise'; something I didn't really think and didn't really agree with.
My family and I were all about to join 'Pirates of the Caribbean' when it started; when the announcement was made that players form the Beta test would be allowed to keep items my daughters asked what a Beta test was, I explained and now they don't want to play as they consider that to be cheating. We have all decided not to play.

Learn from others (like Richard) or pay the price.

James

Covers all the aspects of virtual worlds from a psycological perspective; the intentions, the types of virtual worlds.
Doesn't include indepth technology and the development issues related to designing virtual worlds
Good primer on virtual worlds.

You're getting it straight from the horse's mouth since this book is written by the grandfather of the modern MMORPG.
Rest assured - if you are a game designer, developer, or just love reading about game theory, this book is worth every penny.

I have read many other books on the subject and not one of them are packed with as much depth, knowledge, and wisdom. Bartle covers every avenue that a designer needs to consider in order to be successful. This book will help you and your team create an active, emergent virtual world.

As a game developer, I learned many valuable lessons on what made other games lose subscribers, or worse -- catastrophically fail.


Richard Bartle's writing style is very creative and detailed, and like his games, it gives you the 'just one more page' syndrome. For example, in this book it mentions how often a player must be rewarded in order to retain interest. He uses this same technique for writing by giving you something insightful to read atleast every 10 pages.


Bartle has covered all the bases. Designing Virtual Worlds is a great book, very entertaining. I give it 5 out of 5 stars - a must read.

More than 700 well-written pages packed with valuable insights, and it still leaves you begging for more.

To begin with, this book is not a programming book. There is no code, no discussion of VRML, MPEG-4, or X3D. Instead, this book stands back and takes a "big picture" look at the design of a virtual world from the viewpoint of systems engineering, social engineering, philosophy, history, and psychology. Ethical considerations are even tossed in for good measure.
The book starts out with chapters on the history of virtual worlds and the cultural influences that affected their characteristics. Next, there is a fly-over view of the "production line" of building a virtual world. Bartle then turns his attention to the players - who they are, what they want, and how a virtual world can meet their needs. World design is examined from the standpoint of virtual geography, virtual world citizens, and finally the physics required to implement your world. Chapter 5 is about the specific sociology and physiology of the virtual world - skill levels, individual characteristics, how virtual inhabitants divide themselves into groups, combat, and even the meaning of death in the virtual world. The final three chapters are very philisophical in nature. Chapter 6 is basically a liberal arts syllabus through the prism of virtual world design. The last chapter, on ethical considerations, talks about censorship, and also looks at the player as a person and how game playing in virtual worlds can hurt more than help some kinds of people, particularly those prone to addiction.
Bartle's social commentaries may be a bit long-winded for some people, although I found them interesting. Some readers may also be somewhat frustrated by the fact that the book talks more about what can go wrong in the design of a virtual world - overly complex and static story arcs, characters that players do not get invested in, characters in which players get too invested, etc - than what can go right. I really enjoyed the book, mainly because it moves the focus of the potential virtual world designer from the artistic and technical viewpoint to the player's viewpoint - why they plays games, and why a player would pick your game versus someone else's game.

This is an excellent guide to restoration of old photos and negatives. Everything you'd want to have explained, laid out in step by step detail. This covers most all of the situations you're likely to be confronted with. Highly recommended.

Although I am most heavily involved today in taking new photographs, I have an interest in restoring and repairing many old photographs that I have digitized with my scanner. This book is the best guide I have found for everything from minor fixes to full-blown reconstructions. It is highly recommended.

Is I said in the title, the book is very good, very easy to follow "recipes" and very educative regarding the methods used to clean up photos.

It covers very well all aspects about photo restoration and you can even learn about digital photography tricks if you truly understand the recipes.

The "step-by-step" photos are a remarkable plus: you can see all the process and how each step is applied and the effect over the test photo; very simple way to know you are doing the things well and to understand what you are doing.

The only thing I could mention in the negative aspect is that it is too "Photoshop" oriented, a very expensive software, so it is more directed to professionals o semi-professionals who do photo restoration as a living and not for hobbiests. Perhaps next revision can have some recipes adaptations to free software as GIMP or alike.

Once I started reading this book I had difficulty putting it down until I had finished it. It was so interesting to read how it would be possible to transform sometimes hopeless looking photos into beautiful photographs. It explains a lot about masking & curves adjustments & I feel that this book will be my restoration bible. Since I've had a computer less than a year & Photoshop for a few months, I didn't understand a lot of what I was reading, so I don't know if this should be a beginners first restoration book. It provides a sophisticated approach to digital photo restoration from scan to print.

This book is thoughtfully written with many good photo editing techniques that I haven't seen in other books. Worth the money. The author explains multiple methods for accomplishing similar results. A good book.

On occasion, I feel compelled to try something new. I had never seen the Earthsong webcomic prior to purchasing this book, so I had no idea what this book was about. But the cover illustrations, plus some other good reviews, convinced me to take a chance on it.

It was a good gamble. The interior pages are filled with lush color and beautiful artwork. A quick thumb through it showed me numerous interesting characters with an incredible variety. Then I got around to reading the story. And the story was just as good as the artwork.

Lady Yates has developed an intriguing storyline, with sentient planets (and stars), a quasi-mythology, and of course a conflict. Added to that is Willow, the central character who has no memory (and even the other characters have no clue about her), and is justifiably overwhelmed by the events she is literally dropped into. The other characters also have distinct personalities. Their special talents (superpowers? magical abilities? whatever) do not eclipse the characters or storyline.

The first volume ends far too soon; hopefully there will be many more published. I found myself rereading the book several times, enjoying the glorious artwork and trying to guess where the story would be going. Of course, I quickly sought out the webcomic site too.

Thanks to Lady Yates for a wonderful new story.

The artwork in Earthsong is a fairly unique style, and over time continues to improve as the artist continues the story. The first volume (this one) is actually entirely redrawn, and some of the original story has been revised for the print edition. The result of this is a very beautiful book, cover-to-cover. From the first page spread, which features the main character laying under a beautiful tree, to the pages in which we meet the main villain, this book does not dissapoint either in drawing or writing.

The story is as stunning as the artwork, with character depth being the primary draw for me. Characters like Nanashi, K'thonya, and Felucca become quick favorites as the main character (named Willow) learns more about them, and more about her new surroundings in a quest to find out who exactly, or what exactly she is.

Earthsong is definitely a story that anyone can pick up (it's child-friendly), and is beautifully drawn and written so it will also keep you entertained throughout. The only bad part about it, is when you get to the last page and realize you can't keep going.

There are so many reasons why Earthsong is worth buying. Number one has to be the art though, it's one gorgeous page after the other. The colors are jaw dropping, the characters are extremely well designed, and overall if for nothing else you'll want to buy it just to be able look at something this gorgeous.

But you'll want to buy it for more then that. Because the storyline is as good as the artwork. It's engaging and unique, but has a lot of very familiar tones to it that will entertain sci-fi, fantasy, and even action/adventure fans alike. In my opinion, it's one of the best on-line to print comics since megatokyo.

A very well written and well drawn comic. I have enjoyed it in it's online version and definitely would purchase more should they come around.

For fans of the newer versions of Japanese style manga/anime graphic novels - Earthsong (originally and still on-line)is a must read. The plot is intriguing and the artwork is top notch. The author/artist, Lady Yates, spins a unique universe where the stars and planets are sentient ... and I'll let you read the graphic novel for the rest. No point in spoiling the surprises!

I bought this for my boyfriend and he is enjoying it very much. He says that the illustrations are better than he thought they would be. He recommends this book.

Terrific collection of the first six issues of a favorite comics from my childhood. Hard cover, vivid full-color reproduction on high quality paper, with short bios and backgrounds on key players in the comic's conception and production. If you enjoyed Weird Science, this book is a must.

A better job could not have been done with this volume of Weird Science stories from the '50s. The original artwork has never looked better, and the new color renderings are fabulous. The book is also a bit oversized, which I believe duplicates the size of the original E.C. comics. Fingers are crossed for more future releases.

As mentioned in previous reviews I am not a fan of comics. But as usual, EC comics transcend genre. Even though I haven't been a fan of George Lucas in the past few years his foreward seems apt and appropriate for the tome of work that lay beyond.

What can I say of this book that is unique, different and better than other EC titles? For one, the science involved in the science fiction itself is so bad, so camp it is instantly laughable, such as the car from the future with tailfins that comprise 40% of it's structure! Yet the stories themselves, with all the drama, dilemmas and those famous shock endings are as timeless today as when they were written, 50 years ago.

Look people, if you haven't started buying these things yet, give them a chance. I have hated every comic book or graphic novel I ever read except for The Crow, Sin City or the Watchmen. And these stories have none of the graphic action and adult situations that I demand in all my forms of written entertainment, but they delighted me and made me smile like the proverbial child that I am not. While it pains me to agree with everyone else on anything, this time the masses are right. 5 stars.

Here's a listing of this edition's stories:

From the May/June 1950 issue:
1.) "Lost in the Microcosm" by Albert B. Feldstein (Script) & Harvey Kurtzman (Art)
2.) "Dream of Doom" by Feldstein (Script) & Wally Wood (Art)
3.) "Experiment ... In Death" by Feldstein (Script) & Jack Kamen (Art)
4.) "'Things' From Outer Space!" by Feldstein (Script & Art)

From the July/August 1950 issue:
5.) "The Flying Saucer Invasion" by Feldstein (Script & Art)
6.) "The Meteor Monster" by Feldstein (Script), Harry Harrison (Pencils) & Wood (Inks)
7.) "The Micro-Race!" by Feldstein (Script) & Kamen (Art)
8.) "The Man Who Raced Time" by Feldstein (Script) & Kurtzman (Art)

From the September/October 1950 issue:
9.) "Destruction of the Earth!" by Feldstein (Script & Art)
10.) "The Sounds from Another World!" by Feldstein (Script) & Kurtzman (Art)
11.) "Machine from Nowhere" by Feldstein (Script) & Harrison (Art)
12.) "The Eternal Man" by Feldstein (Script) & Kamen (Art)

From the November/December 1950 issue:
13.) "Panic!" by Feldstein (Script & Art)
14.) "The Radioactive Child" by Kurtzman (Script & Art)
15.) "House, in Time!" by Feldstein (Script) & Graham Ingels (Art)
16.) "I Created a ... Gargantua!" by Feldstein (Script) & Kamen (Art)

From the January/February 1951 issue:
17.) "Made of the Future!" by Feldstein (Script & Art)
18.) "Return" by Feldstein (Script) & Wood (Art)
19.) "The Last War on Earth" by Kurtzman (Script & Art)
20.) "The Man Who Was Killed in Time!" by Feldstein (Script) & Kamen (Art)

From the March/April 1951 issue:
21.) "Spawn of Venus" by Feldstein (Script & Art)
22.) "Man and Superman!" by Kurtzman (Script & Art)
23.) "Sinking of the Titanic!" by Feldstein (Script) & Wood (Art)
24.) "Divide and Conquer" by Feldstein (Script) & Kamen (Art)

I really enjoyed this book. It gave me more than a few laughs as well as some interesting vocabulary. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the humor side of crime fighting comics. That being said it seems the most serious plots are the relationship between Thugboy and Emp. Not very deep, but very fun. And of course the art is truly inspiring. I don't think anyone can create a more promiscuous playful look on a chick than Warren. Very sexy indeed...

There're just so many 'Adams' in comics today - Adam Kubert, Adam Hughes, Adam Strange, Adam Antium (sorry...couldn't resist), but surely among the best of them must be numbered Adam Warren, he of the manga-esque art and audaciously worldly sense of humor. I first became aware of him through his Dirty Pair work, and then through his clever writing on Gen 13 (collected in Gen 13: Superhuman Like You (Gen 13) and Gen 13: Meanwhile. So, thus armed, when this little book popped up in my recommendations, I decided to take a chance. I wasn't expecting much.

Boy, was I surprised. "Empowered" is a light-hearted, laugh-out-loud superhero yarn with a postmodern twist and more wackiness than you cna shake a stick at.

"Empowered" is the story of, well, Empowered (Emp for short), a clumsy superheroine (or, as Warren terms it, "superchica") and associate member of the superteam "The Superhomeys." Emp's powers stem from her skintight supersuit, which is always ripping and disintegrating during the team's violent missions, almost always robbing her of her powers. Emp has a number of issues: she's horribly inept, her teammates don't like her, she has no confidence, she has to take on awful part-time jobs to make ends meet, and she's constantly worried if she looks fat in the suit. Her salvation comes in the form of a new boyfriend (a former villain's helper) and a group of quirky pals who help her see that the superhuman life is worthwhile.

The real pleasure of this book is Warren's especially apt sense of humor. There were numerous times during this book that I actually laughed out loud. His sense of timing is impeccable. However, readers beware - there are a number of very explicit scenes in this book. Despite its kid-friendly appearance, this is definitely NOT for children.

I used to be a big fan of Adam Warren's work, but hadn't picked up a comic book in years. A friend brought this little gem to my attention and I'm now looking forward to more in the series.

This first volume has a nice, sketchbook quality with very tight pencils that have opted to skip the ink brush. The story moves at a nice clip once it finds focus, the characters are enjoyable, and the Kirby-esque cosmic entity steals every scene he's in. The only downside to this collection, in my opinion, is an over-reliance on too many short, unrelated chapters at the start of the story. However, the narrative really begins to gel as you go along.

Looking forward to the next in the series.

Artists don't give you what you like. Artists give you what they like. Every element of Empowered; the contrived slang, the exaggerated visuals, and (most importantly) the satirical yet deeply human characters, provides an open house invitation into the gifted mind of the artist Adam Warren.
In the first installment of Empowered we're offered snippets of a rookie super heroine's attempts to be a valuable public servant while forming personal bonds that blur the good guys vs. bad guys divider. The story isn't so much about what happens as how the characters feel about what happens.
'Emp' is the protagonist with more heart than good fortune. Her superpowers are dependent on on a 'super-coating' which refuses to stay on her body for longer than a grand entrance. Though her protection and dignity disappear every other page, her charms never wanes.
Refreshingly there's more sex than violence in this adult graphic novel. 'Delight' is a word typically associated with family oriented material, but this action sex comedy is a true delight. Emp is a delight. Her friends are a delight. Her fourth wall penetrating criticisms of the storyline, the artist and the reader are all delightful. One hopes (and believes) that this series will continue for years without losing its shine.

"Empowered" is the name which a fledgling superheroine has chosen for herself. Her real name is not specifically given, although it may be a variant of "Ashley", as suggested on one episode. She is a twenty-something, beautiful, blonde, and very insecure about how others perceive her.
She has superpowers, not inborn and not inherent, but only as a result of her costume, a high-tech hypermembrane which can stop bullets, give her super-strength, and the ability to cast energy blasts, but which also deteriorates as it provides protection, somewhat like the "shields" on the starship Enterprise.
In almost every battle which lasts more than a few moments, the suit eventually deteriorates to the point where the suit itself is in tatters and her powers are gone, The suit will spontaneously regenerate itself, in 8 to 12 hours, but in the meantime, Empowered is rather a liability than an asset to the team.
To "Emp's" chagrin, the suit provides no more support or concealment than a layer of body paint, so she is acutely aware of people staring at various jiggling body parts when, for example, she runs. She cannot wear any article of clothing either under or over the suit, or it simply doesn't work at all. If she fails to shave her bikini area (or presumeably, her legs or under her arms), the growth is visible through the suit, described as "latex over steel wool", leading to further embarrassment.
She works with a group of heroes who call themselves the "Superhomeys", and they hang out at the "Homeycrib" (if this sounds satirical, it is intended to be). Some of her companions include Sister Spooky (a former classmate who can cast powerful spells), Ninjette (a enemy who eventually becomes one of her closest friends), Proteus (a human who became a sort of anthropomorphic ameoba as a result of a "close encounter" of a very personal kind), Major Havoc (kind of an arrogant jerk with super-strength), and a number of others. Each character has a distinctive personality, some with considerable depth.
The villians who fight the Superhomeys are no less satirical, and every bit as imaginitive. These include giant Ammonites (shelled squids similar to the creature in "It Came From Beneath The Sea"), giant killer robots, supervillians such as "DeathSloth", teams of armored "Stormtrooper" types, as well as simple gangs of armed human thugs. One villian in particular, introduced as "He Whose Name Is Too Scarey To Be Spoken", but also known as the "Blazing Eyed Demonwolf", the "Cataclysmic Snuffer of Civilizations" and the "Eldritch 12 Cylinder Engine of Destruction" is a sort of bodiless galactic entitiy who possesses humans, and who has a recurring role AFTER being defeated to the point where he is no longer a threat, but continues to provide a great deal of comic relief and sage wisdom.
What makes "Empowered" so enjoyable is that it works on so many levels:
The drawings are gorgeous. "Emp" may be insecure with her body image, but she is actually a knockout, as are Sister Spooky and Ninjette (is there such thing as an UGLY superheroine?). Other characters are drawn in such a manner as to emphasize their particular best quality, or superpower, as the case may be.
"Empowered" might be a comic book, but it is not for kids. There are many, many scenes in which she and/or another character is almost completely nude. There are many, many sexual situations. Its all in good fun, but it ALL isn't simply gratuitious, but is often part of the natural development of relationship between characters.
The writing is also very good. There are several themes being developed simultaneously, including "Emp's" strong desire to fit in with and be accepted by the rest of the Superhomeys, their varying individual views of her (in one case including a back story showing WHY one 'homey carries a deep grudge against her), her meeting and gradual development of a relationship with a "special someone" (and the problems associated with this "forbidden fruit"), and her gradual increase of confidence and competence as she continues to take punishment and come back for more. As the stories progress, "Emp" slowly earns the grudging respect of some, the friendship of others, and the heartfelt love of at least one. The dialog between characters is alternately funny and touching.
I happened on "Empowered" browsing in a bookstore in San Francisco, and after reading the first couple of pages, looked for a chair in which to sit down and read further. I laughed out loud so many times reading this, because I had read so many superhero comics over the years, and seen so many superhero movies which take themselves a bit too seriously. This is satire done RIGHT, and what comics like "Inferior Five" and films like "Mystery Men" were trying to be (I liked Mystery Men, although I felt it could have been even better).
"Empowered" is superhero satire which does more than simply mock the genre, but rather, affectionately uses the cliches we've all come to expect to illustrate the human side of the various superheroes, specifically that, minus their various super-abilities, under the skin-tight costumes and bulging muscles, they are people very similar to ourselves.

I came to the Love and Rockets bandwagon late. I first read both Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez a few years ago when I picked up this collection and the "Heartbreak Soup" collection by Gilbert and tore through each in turn.

This is a review for both, which is perhaps a bit unfair. But I feel that both brothers possess a deep, amazing skill for expressing deeply life in all of its pain and joy. The incredible thing is that, so often, the situations the characters find themselves in seem completely absurd, fantastical, surreal...yet the "realness" and vitality of both brothers' work cannot be overstated. I've been reduced to tears by the struggles and successes of Maggie and Hopey, of Heraclio and Carmen; but to mention only these characters doesn't do justice to the power of experiencing the different choices and consequences of each and every character in both series alongside them.

Please pick these up and read them--it is so worthwhile.

I thought I'd over extended when I bought it a coupla years ago. Now I see it was a worthy investment. There is so much here. It's actually a heavy book, literally. I can't even dig all into it and it's comics. There's just a ton here and it continues to wait for me to dig further. There are so many stories and you enter a world that you know exists somewhere out there, portrayed lovingly in these pages. Definitely worth getting, though now it's a steeper price. I wonder if it'll cost more in 3 years? 10? Comics with a Mexican flavor yet straight outta the heart of the Chicano life. I dig it. I think you will too if yer considering buying it.

Growing up in an artistic family, I was read Love and Rockets as a very young girl. The drawings, language, and storyline always intrigued me and till this day, I think of Luba as part of my family. She is very real to me, because she is like my mother (really). Such a dynamic, sexy character. People may say that Beto is lacking in his half of the L&R series but I disagree on so many levels.

I started reading Love & Rockets when I was in college in the mid 80s. It blew me away in terms of writing, style, layout. Gilbert is not the best technically, but he more than makes up for it in his storytelling and pacing. I continued reading the stories of Palomar until the mid 90s when other life issues took up most of my time. It was wonderful rediscovering this magnificent work in a single volume. Likewise, Locas by Gilbert's brother Jaime is a superlative body of work (700 pages!). Both volumes should take their deserved place on any comic book lovers shelf.

I've loved the Palomar stories ever since a friend handed me "Heartbreak Soup" (an earlier compilation of a few of the stories). The characters are wonderfully real, the art is expressive, and the strange, strange stories are always entertaining.

What a treat to have all of the Palomar stories in one (huge) volume! I totally agree with the reviewer who said that now Jaime Hernandez should follow suit, and release "Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories" (or whatever title he likes, as long as it's the complete Maggie and Hopey).

I never knew quite where Engima was going to take me until I was finished with it. At times I was confused -- hell, most of the time I was confused. I worried that it would become too preachy or philosophical to be enjoyable; I worried it would fall into randomness and end without making sense; I worried it would fall victim to awkward stereotypes. It did none of these things.

Enigma is a fantastic story, dark and twisted. The art reflects this well; it may not be the prettiest thing to look at, but it's fitting enough that it shouldn't be a problem for almost anyone once they get into the story.

The characters begin simply, and through the events of the story grow three-dimensional so that you can't help but care for them. The villains are twisted and fantastic: Envelope Girl especially is a favorite of mine, though she overall isn't entirely important as a character.

Michael is a twenty-something nobody whose life continues every week in such a repetitive way that it could only be called obsessive compulsive; he wears his underwear according to the days of the week and only has sex on Tuesdays. His world is shaken when the first villain appears, and soon he realizes that they're from a three-issue comic he loved as a child. Titus is the creator of the comic, an older, gay man who was too stoned while writing it to make sense of it himself, though he's praised as a prophet by a group of youths called the Enigmatics. And there's the Enigma himself, alternately loved and hated by the populace of the city he more or less protects, and properly enigmatic himself. And the narrator -- an omnipresent voice with an all-encompassing knowledge of the story, full of scorn and contempt for those he tells the story and for the characters within, withholding knowledge and becoming, as he does so, a well-developed character himself.

And the ending -- the ending is perfect. You may be unsure of the story all the way until then, but the ending wraps it all together, fits every piece into place without a space between. Fantastic.

I attempted to read Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo's ENIGMA series back in 1993 and gave up about halfway through it, seeing it as an indulgent mess that would leave me with no explanations as to what was going on. When the trade was released in 1995, I read the whole thing and was annoyed that a story with so many angles would seemingly just boil down to an issue of the main character's sexuality. Forward to 2007: I pick up the trade during a rebirth of my interest in Vertigo books, read it in one day, and am amazed. I finally got it. Yes, ENIGMA does place a heavy emphasis on sexual preference, but it's so much more.

Michael Smith's routine life is shattered by the arrival of the Enigma, a superhero from his childhood. Battling such bizarre foes as the Head, the Truth, Envelope Girl, and the Interior League (my personal favorites, like something from Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol), it is apparent to Michael that the lines between fantasy and reality are blurring, and clues lead him to believe that he is somehow responsible. Michael tracks down the comic's creator, Titus Bird, and the two of them work to reveal the Enigma's identity and how he came to be. In turn, the Enigma helps Michael to discover quite a number of things about himself, but ultimately, this is a story postulating how four-color superheroes could exist in the "real world". Let's face it... if real people had superpowers, they likely wouldn't dress in garish costumes and speak in purple prose, so how could this happen? Your answer is here.

Milligan's story is excellent, now that I finally got my head around it (gee, it only took me 14 years). There's not one boring bit in the entire book, and the narration is excellent, providing just the right amount of "gotcha" at the conclusion. Fegredo's art is spectacular, as always, with every person and object carefully rendered. A perfect team for a perfect book!

I'm an avid reader of both comics and novels, and must say this is definitely one of, if not The best, graphic novels I've read thus far. Although the artwork is a bit scratchy, it quickly fits in with the mood of the story and even adds to the effect. The story itself deals with many interesting psychological and personal topics including homosexuality, responsibility, disillusionment, and the frailty of the human mind. The characters each have their own quirky, unusual backgrounds that will stimulate your brain cells and draw you into the tale, such as the average joe who was tranformed into a mind-devouring monster after a short chat with a dead lizard. And as you can probably tell by now, this book does have its quirks, so be prepared for a truly unique read.

My problem with this comic is that I really could never like this iper realistic drawing style which boast every single line fo people faces so that even those supposed to be very good looking (Enigma himself and the model Victoria Yes) look deformed.
It was a deliberate choice of course, I simply do not share it.

This booklet is self contained and tells us the story of an average straight boy leading a very average life meeting the -male- hero from the comics he used to read as a child.
The idea fo a comic about a comic is not bad and brings forth some fairly interesting issues: identity, sexual identity, children mistreatment, etc.
I was not overwhelmed by enthusiasm but other people might be.

A lot of gore and some topics (nudity and mild gay sex among them) make this booklet unsuitable for minors.

Brilliant comic with a great twist at the end. Very underated from Vertigo's early days. Offbeat characters like Envelope Girl and Titus Bird bring this book to life paying homage to 70's whacked out comics world. Enjoy! and then what?

I liked the episode, but the book was so much better there's almost no comparison. Steven Barnes' story of Benny Russell's struggle to preserve his dream of "Deep Space Nine" against racism blends a Christ-figure with the same restrained, tolling tone as Langston Hughes' poetry to show a man whose passion is such that it elevates his "fiction" to the level of prophecy (inside the Trek universe, anyway). Read this story and then consider its basic premise in general terms. Your life just might change in unexpected ways.

There are a number of aspects to this story that can be rated. It seems to be a fairly accurate, true-to-the-episode novelization; five stars there. It is a marvellous pure science fiction story, which leaves unsolved whether it's actually about an alternate-universe writer who is able to tap into the world of Deep Space Nine for his stories, or about Commander Sisko having temporary insanity that produces hallucinations. Again, five stars. It is a powerful, moving story about the effects of racism on a young black science fiction writer in 1953 Harlem. Once more, five stars. About the only way in which it is NOT a five-star effort is purely as a Star trek novel; ninety percent or more of this story has absolutely nothing to do with Star Trek, and another five percent is only tangentially related to Star Trek. Only the very beginning and the very end actually deal with the station and what's happening there; the plot for this tiny fraction of the story is virtually nonexistent except as a setup for the non-Star Trek part of the story. In that regard, it's barely worth two stars.

So if what you're interested in is a wonderfully told, powerfully moving story with some minor connection to Deep Space Nine, this is EXACTLY what you're looking for. If, on the other hand, you actually want a Star Trek novel, this may not be what you want.

I throughly enjoyed reading this novel which is a novelization of an episode of Star Trek Deep Space Nine. The setting for most of this novel takes place in the 1950s in Harlem. Sisko (commander of Deep Space Nine) unexpectedly falls sick and is transported to Harlem, New York in the 1950s. He keeps his body but is a different person who is struggling to become a Science Fiction writer. By reading the novel we feel the main character's (Benny's) pain and wish him well, but everyone who has seen the episode knows what the outcome will be. Seeing how Benny overcame so much adversity and kept his dream alive in spite of all of the obstacles that confronted him was an emboldening story.

One of the things that I really liked about this book was how it went back to Benny's childhood and into the bodies of men from several generations back. We see Benny as a child growing up in Harlem and also as a slave in america tending the fields.

I think this story would be enjoyable for any reader, but I think those familiar with the characters on Star Trek Deep Space Nine will appreciate it much more. The story transposes the main characters from Deep Space Nine and puts them in a different setting along with Sisko giving them different names but having mostly the same personalities.

I was surprised to discover that the original episode on television was written by a white man, because it really brings out the feelings and frustrations of a black man living in a time when any black man other than a custodian, busboy or shoe shiner was seen as a threat to the majority community.

The author's note at the end of the book discusses the role of blacks in film and TV. The author makes some interesting and insightful observations on how far we've come and how Star Trek has been at the forefront in placing blacks in good parts.

Clearly "Far Beyond the Stars" was one of the best Deep Space Nine episodes in it's seven year run. Steven Barnes took that episode and, in a very short amount of time, turned the novelization into an amazing accoutrement to that episode. Even more so than the episode, you can feel for the characters in the book. It is at times gut wrenching and at other times totally enlightening. The author captured all of the character's with perfection. He also captured the 50's era with ease. A truly delightful book. If you've not read this, you need to whether or not you're a fan of trek fiction. It would be nice if the author would make another foray into the trek universe.

If you have not seen Far Beyond the Stars -- see it. It's simply one of the best Star Trek episodes ever, of all the series. You don't necessarily have to be a Deep Space Nine fan to enjoy it either -- just being a fan of great stories, or of science fiction, would be enough.

The book is a wonderful supplement to the TV episode, adding in many details and extra scenes. It perfectly captures the tone and mood of 1950s New York, as the episode did. Benny Russell is an unforgettable character.

The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because of a jarring line or two in there comparing the situtation of women vs. blacks in the '50s. It was totally unnecessary, IMHO, not to mention rather insensitive. A woman writer features in the story - like Benny, she's told to "call in sick" on the day the magazine staff is photographed for their next issue - how dare a woman be a sci-fi- writer? But the author says she has it better because "she can live where she wants, her kids can go to the best schools..." Hmm.

Other than that however, it's a wonderful read.

Initially I started this book and learned some things right away that I hadn't realized. Then the direction of the book seemed to jump around a bit and in the process I found sections that weren't formatted properly and in one section (pgs.60-61) the author refers to an project file that doesn't exist. In other parts you wonder what one thing has to do with the exercise just given. On page 67 it jumps from finding a particular clip within a sequence to placing markers for DVD Studio Pro.
If the book is used in a process where you check for something in the index then jump to that page, it should work out fine, but as a linear read, it really is scattered.

The author of this book really hits the nail on the head by showing you how to do the cool stuff and backing it up with page after page of tips, tricks and troubleshooting knowledge. The Questions and Answers section at the end of each chapter are priceless. This is one of the few Final Cut Pro books that I have read that successfully mixes basic, intermediate and advanced topics and for that I have to give much credit to this author. I have been using Final Cut Pro for one year and my colleagues are seasoned Final Cut Pro professionals, and we all learned something from this book. This book gave me a solid learning experience and made me like Final Cut Pro even more.

Like one of the previous reviews, I too have several books on this subject and this is no doubt the best of the bunch. Lonzell Watson takes a different approach to his teaching by making you think about what you're editing and how you might frame the edit. There's only one trivial thing in the book that takes some getting used to and that is the (play head) being referred to as the (position indicator) I find myself constantly thinking what's he talking about position indicator?...Oh you mean the PLAY HEAD! This isn't your typical cookie cutter instructional book, well worth your attention.

This book is extremely helpful. I obtained Final Cut Pro 6 with only limited working knowledge of the software, but through this book I have quickly excelled and I can edit quickly and with the best of them. I would recommend this book to anyone who any questions about the program. The question and answer section at the end of each chapter gives a little bit of extra insight that is also incredible useful.

GENIUS - an over used word...but not when talking about these guys.

Several years ago I took John Lynn's FCP class at GeniusDV in Florida. I'd been a video editor for well over 20 years and thought I would never be able to make the transition from the good 'ole tape editing to digital editing. Without the talented John Lynn and GeniusDV I never would have been able to evolve from one format to the other. GeniusDV helped me become more proficient in FCP than I ever imagined.

However, I realized that I got stuck doing the same things...same effects...same dissolves...same graphics same, same, same. Then I got my hands on FINAL CUT PRO 6 for Digital Video Editors Only by Lonzell Watson.

To begin with, the large type of the book itself is a huge help. The paper it's printed on is of such quality my constant contact will never rip a page.

Quite simply, the content and the written structure of Lonzell's book made me want to sit in the editing bay. Lonzell's spot-on "hit the deck running" instructions and tips showed me new ways to work.

His chapter on "Accelerating the Editing process" (Chapter 3) is superior. Many times during my constant reading of this book I find myself actually shaking my head and mumbling something like "I didn't know that!" His crystal clear breakdown of tasks showed me how to tell my story in a way I had imagined; yet wasn't sure how to best produce. Even with all my editing experience, I found that the exercises gave me new inspiration and ideas.

FINAL CUT PRO 6 For Digital Video Editors Only by Lonzell Watson is the first thing I reach for when I begin editing. Before I even turn on the computer the book is on the left side of my keyboard...notes and colored paper clips extending abundantly.

FINAL CUT PRO 6 for Digital Video Editors Only is complete in itself. This book is the perfect link to the class I took at GeniusDV. If you are a video editor, or want to be a video editor get to one of their classes. I plan on taking another class with GENIUSDV, but until I do this book will be more than sufficient. I didn't think anything could be as helpful, instructional and enjoyable as the actual class taught by the consummate John Lynn and GeniusDV. However, Lonzell Watson's book is a masterful substitute.

Lonzell Watson, John Lynn and Genius DV are worthy of the word genius.

If you have always wanted to get the Drizzt stories but can't stand Salvatore's writing style this is the way to go. Great art, great story, fun dialogue. All in one quick to read package. Put it on your summer reading list, or if your a comic geek that is tired of the Fantasy genre being ignored by the big two.

R.A. Salvatore himself claims that this graphic rendition of his famous book is as faithful as it could get. Coupled with Tim Seeley's clean yet evocative illustrations, this book gives old and new fans something for keeps. Kudos to the team at Devil's Due publishing. One could only hope that they extend their work to other Forgotten Realms literature.

The writers and artists that created this book did an excellent job of capturing the essence of Salvatore's first Drizzt book. I had high hopes for this work and was not disappointed in the least. The whole story is told here in an abbreviated but thorough way that, together with the art, tells the story of Drizzt's childhood in a powerful way. The strict and wicked society of the drow is nicely captured. I'd even go so far as to say that the art adds more depth to the original story. This is no substitute for Salvatore's novel, but as a supplement it can bring the story to a whole new level.

One thing I hadn't realized about the drow was that all of their women are so very well-endowed. Either drow plastic surgeons are kept very busy, or female drow just naturally have extremely voluptuous bodies. Personally, I thought it added to the story. Very enjoyable. But seriously, the Underdark (particularly Menzoberanzen) was brought to life by the beautifully detailed art in this book. Some of the artistic representations of various monsters was somewhat different than I had pictured in my head while reading the books (such as the handmaiden of Lloth and the earth elemental), but I'm sure Salvatore approved everything so this must be pretty much how he envisions it. Regardless, this is a beautifully done book that captures the magic of the original Homeland and even adds some depth to the story.

The only complaint I had with this adaptation was the omission of Drizzt's letters before each section. Drizzt's writings add feeling to the novels and I would have hoped that they would have included them in these graphic novels. Maybe they'll consider it for some of the later editions.

Overall, I was very impressed with this book. It does an excellent job of representing the original and is fun to read. Excellent art enhances the story.

The dark elves of the Forgotten Realms live deep underground, in the Underdark, where they plot their revenge against the light elves of the surface, and wage interminable inter-clan wars against each other. On the very night when his clan annihilates another clan, Drizzt Do'Urden is born. He is destined to be special, unbeatable with two swords, and yet separated from his people by a conscience. This is the story of Drizzt, his birth, his coming of age, and his discover of what he is and what he can be.

R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt Do'Urden stories have been a perennial favorite with fantasy story readers, well known for their action and for their gripping storylines. Now, Devil's Due Publishing has brought out the first Drizzt Do'Urden story in graphic novel format, and I must say that it is fantastic! They did a terrific job of capturing Mr. Salvatore's characters, and I thought that the illustration work was excellent.

So, if you are a fan of R.A. Salvatore, or are just a fan of great fantasy, then get this book. You will not be disappointed!

Dark Elf Trilogy Volume 1 is a compilation of a series of comics about the elven ranger Drizzt. I was not disappointed by the book. The art style is attractive and fresh, particularly the eyes, and I thought the characers were well-drawn. The artist really captured the essence of the dark elves, a troubled race.

Peeves? I was a bit annoyed that every female drow seemed to dress as though she shopped at Victoria Secret of the Underdark. Surely in a society where women rule and men are chattel skimpy clothing would be the norm for men? Also, while I love Drizzt, this graphic novel only underscored what a Mary Sue the character actually is. Drizzt is a little too perfect, and his views a bit too modern. I think anyone raised in a society as perverse as the drows would've gotten a bit more accustomed to violence early on. Drizzt is constantly shocked, appalled and amazed at the violence surrounding him.

Still, this was a fast, exciting read. I'd recommend it for older teens and adults. Some subject matter (such as sacrifice), nudity, and demon worship are not suitable subjects for small kiddies.